Maxims for responsible and sustainable black bass management and conservation

Abstract Black bass Micropterus spp. populations, fisheries, and their management are at a crossroads, creating an opportune time to consider their current state and identify opportunities for working collectively towards a better future. Here I present six maxims (identified from my experiences and familiarity with the literature) for the responsible and sustainable management and conservation of black bass intended to benefit fish and people. Maxims are short statements expressing a general truth or fundamentally held principle and are also logically complemented by considering their implications (in the form of needs). The maxims identified are as follows: (1) Black bass have diverse socioeconomic and cultural value, (2) habitat is the foundation for healthy and productive black bass populations and fisheries, (3) black bass are sometimes good for biodiversity but are not always good for biodiversity, (4) the black bass management toolbox is antiquated, (5) black bass recreational fishing requires two licenses—one for fishing and a social license, and (6) black bass and bass fishing are for everyone. Implications of these maxims are wide-ranging, but all demand action to ensure that black bass are valued, that their habitat and populations are managed using robust evidence-informed practices, that their contribution to biodiversity is understood, that the social license for bass fishing and their management is maintained, and that black bass are managed for the benefit of all.